Last weekend I had a lunch and movie date (tagalog movie date) with my college barkada. I can't even remember the last time I watched a tagalog movie on the big screen. Not even an MMFF movie. Oh well...We've been planning this 'event' for at least 2 weeks, and we made sure that everyone's schedule was free on that day. Suffice it to say, no amount of planning can ever beat a spur-of-the-moment thing. So, only 3 of us were able to make it.

I arrived at SM Megamall past 1:30 pm, which was waaay past lunch time. Mercie was hungry and I was, too. We decided we wanted something Japanese, so we went to Bubble Tea. I didn't know they had rice meals there as I only order their Taro Milk Shake and Gyoza everytime. I was to hungry to care about the price of their meals (their food is quite pricey), so I ordered what looks good to me - Chicken Terriyaki Doria. Baked rice topped with melted, gooey mozzarella cheese and chicken terriyaki strips.

Chicken Terriyaki Doria @ Php185.00

the spread: taro milk tea, gyoza, and chicken terriyaki doria. YUMM!

After filling ourselves with delicious Japanese food, we went to the cinemas to buy our tickets. To what movie, you ask? In Your Eyes starring Claudine Barretto, Anne Curtis, and Richard Gutierrez. Yeah-hah, it's true. Good thing, though, Mercie has her citibank receipts so I only paid 60 pesos for the movie. Kind of makes watching it bearable.

For me, the movie was neither good nor bad. It was memorable. For one, cliches abound in this movie. Lines like "In time, you'll cope" (advice on the pain of breaking up) and "Kung ang tama ang makakapag pasaya sayo..." are some of the few that I cared to remember.

For another, you can't help but laugh or say "duh" on some of the scenes. IMHO, it just doesn't happen in reality! Even if you've asked your sister to marry your boyfriend to get him a green card or residency status, on their supposed wedding day, YOU don't ask them to kiss ON THE FREAKIN' LIPS!!! There were many instances in the movie that bordered on the insane - well, I exaggerate a little. But really, some scenes just needed to be more real.

Further, the two women were great in the movie, acting their part well, and were very believable (save for the insane scenes I just mentioned). But Richard Gutierrez was forgettable. In the face of two good actresses he was lost and fell flat. There were moments he just stood there and looked like he was reciting lines rather than acting them out. It was not good.

Lastly, the story was, as they say, controversial. In one scene my friend Errol said, "Anubayan, parang incest." I had to laugh out loud because it somehow felt like incest. xD I think that's what made it really stand out from the usual plots of tagalog movies. And the reason why it had good reviews all around. But for me, it's one movie too many. I'll skip the next movie that gets this thumbs up from the media. Or stay away from romantic dramas and stick with comedy, adventure, fantasy, and maybe even action movies.